


Help and Introductions

by PrismalMelonMan



Series: Second Chances [3]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: AU, Not Canon Compliant, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Rich history, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 22:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21483616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrismalMelonMan/pseuds/PrismalMelonMan
Summary: Clockwork comes for a visit.tumblr: https://prismalpremier.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Clockwork & Danny Fenton, Clockwork/Vlad Masters, Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton, Jack Fenton & Vlad Masters, Maddie Fenton & Vlad Masters
Series: Second Chances [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547047
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	Help and Introductions

Vlad had been pacing nonstop, still rambling to his cat when Clockwork came for a visit. Vlad stared at the floor as he walked, so he didn’t notice the time ghost appear, and Clockwork, being Clockwork didn’t say anything. Vlad, muttering to himself, for Mad Cat had left the room, rammed into the chest of the Master of Time.

“Hello, _Vlad_,” Clockwork said with an outreached hand and sly smile.

“Oh, it’s _you_,” He said with a tone of mild annoyance. Why did he have that stupid smile on his face? He would _not_ be taking the sapphire-skinned ghost’s hand, he decided. “And couldn’t you announce your presence before letting me_ run into your chest?_”

“Hmm, it’s more fun this way. A bit of surprise put into the mix of Life can be fun.”

Oh, Clockwork knew he had it _bad_, and it was unrequited, as far as he could tell. One teeny, tiny timeline ends up with the duo together, and Clockwork had been fixating on that for a while now, even before the Human World and Ghost Zone had been in grave danger. He was fascinated with the chance that it could happen. Before Vlad had started becoming power hungry, there were a few more timelines that eventually converged into a relationship, then branched out again, depending on whether something happened that caused the two to split. For a short while, until Clockwork intervened, the possibility vanished. Both because Vlad no longer cared for things like that, only power and revenge, and his inescapable death in space. Those timelines that Clockwork ever doubted their happening, were his fantasies. _What if?_ He thought about those ones, at first in curiosity, on slow days where nothing notable was really happening in that time. Only recently, when the fantasy disappeared from the Stream, did Clockwork start to realize that he subconsciously was falling for the silver-haired man who was now standing and staring at him strangely—

“Are you even _listening_ to me?” Vlad hissed.

“Sorry, lost in thought, I guess, but I am no longer, so please, do tell me what you were saying.” Clockwork responded with that _same_ smile.

“Well, as I was saying, is that I am glad you’re here, because I have _no_ idea how to even start apologizing to people.”

“Well, don’t worry; just take your time, and things will straighten out.”

“Well, of course, I just nee—did you just—”

“Yes, now go on,” He said with a shit-eating grin.

“Right.” Vlad rolled his eyes at the joke. “I need your name, I do sincerely hope your name isn’t _Time Ghost_, like that insufferable Box Ghost.”

“I find his extremely occasional visits…endearing, though no matter what…I do not have any boxes to spare. He always finds my tower by accident, too,” Clockwork mused. “But no. Time Ghost is a stupid name. _My_ name is Clockwork.”

“Hm, Clockwork.”

“Yes, that is my name.”

“Nice.”

“Thank you, I didn’t choose it. I’ve had it forever.”

“Literally, I’m guessing.”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, Clockwork, I need your help.”

“I knew as such.”

“Yeah, yeah, let me finish. I don’t know how to start…getting forgiveness. Apologizing. Do I apologize to Jack first? Maddie? Danny is last, because…”

“I know; you need to decide first…” He placed a sympathetic hand on Vlad’s shoulder. “Think it through.”

Vlad sat on his bed after that, and the ghostly pair waited for a while in silence until Vlad stood up again.

“If I forgive and apologize to Jack first, he may get upset at Maddie when we finally tell everyone the truth… Maddie loves him. As much as it _pains_ me to say it, she does. And if I _do _tell Daniel first, he’ll probably confront his parents, and demand answers, which could cause animosity between Maddie and Jack.”

Clockwork nodded at Vlad to signal a _go on, continue_.

“It needs to be Maddie first, doesn’t it?”

“That’s for you to decide. And people may accept your apology, but it takes time to heal even the oldest wounds, time to forgive. Don’t lose your temper, Vladimir,” He warned, “if she and Danny are reluctant to forgive. Because if you lose your temper, get angry, you _will _undo all that your apology had been trying to fix.”

“Can you just tell me what the right choice is?”

“No, I showed you your future and gave you a hint of how to change it. The rest will be entirely up to you. You control your future, I can only watch as you either save your future, or destroy it again, and this time, if you go down the path I warned you of, you will be sealing your fate forevermore. Not another chance.”

Vlad sat back down. Would Maddie hate him more for asking to tell Danny the truth, even after they’d agreed to never speak of it those 17 years ago? Maddie regretted the one-night affair, but now she had Danny. Jazz had been 1, nearly 2, at the time, and Jack & Maddie had been engaged since before the conception of their daughter. They just couldn’t marry yet, as they didn’t have the money they did now from their inventing. Maddie, for some reason unknown to Vlad, even still, after all these years, had visited him in his small house in Wisconsin, before he’d gotten rich. They spoke of the accident, had a few drinks and…and then it was over. She left as quickly as she had come with a short goodbye. Even after the accident and the meeting some years later, Vlad still had feelings for her. He’d convinced himself that _she_ had feelings for him, too, despite knowing that, that fantasy was all in his head. He’d loathed Jack for taking Maddie away, even though she was never really “his” in the first place. Vlad knew he had a lot to atone for, to beg forgiveness for. He told himself, that if he had to really get down on his knees and beg, he’d do it.

He looked at Clockwork finally.

“Can you help me?”

“With what?”

“What to say?”

Clockwork laughed. “I can try, though I am not sure how. I’ve lived basically alone in a clock tower for a few millennia, and I refuse to ever apologize to the Observants because they’re insufferable assholes akin to all-knowing eyeballs in gelatin.”

Vlad was speechless. After a few beats of still, awkward silence, he started laughing. He laughed until he couldn’t breathe and had to hold onto his bed post to steady himself.

Clockwork was thoroughly amused. _When Vlad has a genuine laugh, it’s really cute, _CW thought.

“I’m not sure _how_ I’ll help, but I’ll sure try, okay?”

“Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be posted this weekend but I guess it's happening now


End file.
